Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Catching up

We’ll start with last week, when I set up the water table on the ground, thinking Jack would sit next to it and play in the water.What was I thinking? The first thing he did was crawl right in it, fully clothed.After stripping him down and putting on a swim diaper, he went back out and played:

After that episode, I started to realize that his poor feet were sweaty every time I took off his shoes.The poor boy needed some sandals.Here he is trying them out in the store:

Very stylish.

Later that day we attended our first egg hunt with our Wednesday playgroup.Here is Jack inspecting an egg with his friend Molly:

He realized the eggs were supposed to go in the basket, but only sort-of:

Mostly he preferred to walk around with them:

And really what he most liked was sitting in the shade and spinning:

Saturday was a fun-filled family day.We all went to Duck and Decanter for lunch, where Jack wandered around making friends:

Joe and I got to sit, eat, and have a glass of wine in relative peace.Then we headed down to Mesa so Jack could visit with his Godfather Michael.For some reason the only picture I have is of him playing with his new gardening tools:

I know the other family members took lots of photos, so hopefully I can get a few of those to post later.I also have some pictures from Easter Sunday at our house, but I’ll have to put them up after my editor goes through them.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Shopping, Protesting, and More Protesting

Sunday we had a family day, which really means we ran around and did a lot of shopping. Jack likes to shop, and he especially likes to ride on Joe’s shoulders. Here he is on the way to Old Navy:

And then checking some things out at Home Depot:

He doesn’t really look convinced:

It was such a wonderful and relaxing weekend. It’s a good thing too, because we had to get ready for the protest going on in our neighborhood. Over 100,000 people peacefully descended upon central Phoenix Monday starting at noon. Here is what our normally quiet street looked like:

We walked down a ways to see if we could see anything, and Jack enjoyed all the people:

Afterwards we walked through the park, but Jack got mad at me when I walked away from him. He staged his own protest right there in the sand.

Here you can see up close how unhappy he was, poor guy.

Today we have our first Easter Egg hunt at playgroup. Most of the kids are right around Jack’s age, so it will be interesting to see if they can figure out egg hunting. I will be sure to get lots of pictures!

Friday, April 07, 2006

Thursday at the park

Normally I have Jenna on Thursdays and she takes Jack to the park. But her brother is getting married this weekend, so she had the day off. I haven’t been to the park with Jack since he started walking, and boy did we have a good time.

He started out on the slide. He climbed all the way to the top by himself, but he wasn’t sure about going down.

He finally scooted over and went down holding my hands.

After the slide, he decided to chase some pigeons:

But then he realized there were better birds for chasing. Big geese!

He couldn’t understand why the geese kept walking away from him instead of stopping and holding still so he could “pet” their pretty feathers.

He also found a small hill that he walked up and down and up and down about 2 million times.

After running around, we decided to take a break and ride the train. Jack was thirsty from the activity, so I couldn’t get him to put down the sippy cup for these pictures.

This last one is just to show you that I was actually there, since all the pictures are usually of Jack wandering around by himself!

Today we are going back to the park to play with Jack’s friends. Then Jack is going to spend over at Grandma Gloria and Grandpa Tom’s house. Last week when he was there he learned to paint. Who knows what adventures are in store for him this week!

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Just an average Jack day

Yesterday was a typical Wednesday for Jack. We started at the library for baby time at 10:15. This is the best activity – it’s free, there are lots of kids, and Jack really likes it. To give you an idea of what goes on at baby time I took a few pictures. These are all at the end of class when the kids get up and run around.

Jack is not in that picture because he was over by the window, his favorite place to play:

He did get back in the action, although I could never get him to look at me!

After the library we went to visit Joe at work. We just can’t seem to get a handle on naptime, because here is how he spent the meal:

The worst part was that was his only nap for the entire day, from 11:30 to noon. Yikes. Luckily we had playgroup in the afternoon to distract him from the fact that he was exhausted!

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Getting my "Mom Legs"

When I was young, my grandfather would take us out on his boat into the ocean outside of Los Angeles. I remember learning quickly about sea legs, and how it took special balance to get around the boat.

For those non-nautical readers, here is the definition from the Dictionary of Cultural Literacy:

To “have one’s sea legs” is to be able to walk calmly and steadily on a tossing ship.

I have a new definition for you all. “Mom Legs”

Some people are born with Mom Legs. They are able to adapt to a screaming infant, a toddler with markers in his hand and a mind of his own, a preschooler who only knows the word NO, and much more, all on 2 hours sleep per night and leftover macaroni and cheese as sustenance.

Unfortunately I was not born with my Mom Legs. I am equivalent to the person sitting on the side of the boat looking green and wishing the waves would die down a little. It has taken me this long to feel like I have a handle on things, and even then only barely. But I’m getting there – today I took a shower, did the dishes AND started the laundry, all while Jack was awake and standing right next to me. Will wonders never cease?

The picture above was taken at Desert Ridge, where Jack wandered about playing with other kids. Or I guess really next to other kids:

As with any good day of running, every boy needs a milk break:

We had to make a stop at Joann’s to look at crochet cotton. Jack was helping me shop:

And then he fell asleep on the way home. Here’s what he looked like when he woke up:

Yesterday I went down to visit Julie, Mac and Caden. Luckily I didn’t have Jack with me because Julie and I had our hands full with those two boys! I can’t believe how much I’ve already forgotten about dealing with an infant. No one was seriously injured, however, so I chalk the day up as a success.

About Me

Jack and Nicholas live with their parents in Phoenix, Arizona. They both spend a good part of their day devising ways to keep the staff busy. The staff, of course, consisting of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, and neighbors.